Page 110 - 100 Best Loved Poems - Teaching Unit

“Poetry”
by Marianne Moore, pages 88-89

Vocabulary
dilate – grow wider; expand
derivative – unoriginal
insolence – rudeness; arrogance

1. While Moore does not use meter in this poem, she does impose a strict form on it. How is
the form achieved?

The form is achieved with the use of indentations, in the same place for each strophe.

2. What, according to the speaker, should ideally be like “imaginary gardens with real toads
in them”? Explain the meaning of this phrase.

According to the speaker, poems should ideally be like imaginary gardens with real toads
in them.

Answers may vary. Example: A poem should be unreal and illusory, but it should also be
populated by actual feelings, characters, and concepts.

“First Fig”
by Edna St. Vincent Millay, page 90

Vocabulary
renascence – rebirth

1. Is the candle of the poem literal or figurative? Why do you think the author begins the
poem with such a common cliché?

The candle is figurative.

Answers may vary. Example: Millay might have wanted a rhyme for “Friends.” However,
the cliché does fit the sense of this very short poem.

2. Describe the voice and tone of the speaker.

Answers may vary. Example: The speaker is exuberant and unapologetic.

3. What is defended in this poem?

The poem defends the decision to live a very full and experimental, if fast, life.

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